Apr. 8, 2013

Administrative law specialist Travis Calderwood is the 'Freedom to Work specialist' for the state of Michigan. / Ryan Garza | Detroit Free Press

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Travis Calderwood

• Age: 34 • Lives in:Farmington Hills • Salary: $92,000 per year • Career: “Freedom to work” specialist with the Michigan Bureau of Employee Relations since Feb. 19. Previously, a private practice attorney who dealt with employment and labor issues. • Education:Bachelor’s degree in political economy from Hillsdale College and law degree from the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor.

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Seventy-two people work as administrative law specialists for the state, but Travis Calderwood is unique in that he’ll be focused on only one particular area of law.

As the state implements Michigan’s controversial right-to-work laws, Calderwood is the man tasked with communicating what these new labor policies mean in real-world scenarios and how they’ll actually affect the myriad business owners, labor leaders and workers in the state.

The 34-year-old attorney from Farmington Hills was hired in February to fill an opening the state advertised as a “freedom-to-work” specialist, a term used by proponents of the laws, which ban mandatory union dues as a condition of employment.

The political term is used by right-to-work advocates — including Republican lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder — in promoting the historic law change in Michigan.

But when it comes to Calderwood’s specific job, the description belies the true purpose of his role in state government, he said.

Calderwood said he doesn’t advocate for one side or the other in the divisive debate over right to work.

“I’m advocating for people to follow the law,” Calderwood said. “Regardless of what the law is, I’ve made many an oath to uphold it.”

Since starting his job seven weeks ago, Calderwood said he’s fielded inquiries from a variety of people who’ll be directly impacted by the right-to-work laws, which affect union contracts in both the public and private sector.

Business owners, union leaders and workers want to know how the laws affect their individual circumstances, but he said generally “it depends” and more detailed explanations are often required.

The right-to-work laws affect only labor contracts that took effect on or after March 28, so most workers or businesses won’t see the impact of the laws for several years.

“My role is to provide education and information to make sure there’s no misconception about the laws,” he said.

Calderwood said he’s also had to debunk concerns that right to work could affect other employee-labor laws, such as collective bargaining or exclusivity in union representation.

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In December, when the Legislature passed right to work amid massive protests that drew national attention, Calderwood still was practicing law for Collins & Blaha, P.C. in Farmington Hills.

His work there included representing local school districts on labor issues, he said.

Watching from afar

As everything unfolded in Lansing, Calderwood said he was watching from afar with a keen interest in how the actions by the Michigan Legislature and Snyder would impact his clients.

“This is a very critical point in Michigan,” Calderwood said. “I wanted to make sure that I could be part of it and bring that fairness and equity to it.”

He said he was fully aware when he applied for and accepted the job with the Michigan Bureau of Employee Relations that his position would be one under public scrutiny.

“The role of the Bureau of Employee Relations is we’re a neutral administrative body. We’re not here to pick sides,” he said.

Calderwood will earn a salary of $92,000 a year — or $44.23 an hour — for the position in the bureau, which is based in Detroit’s Cadillac Place.

Director Ruthanne Okun said Calderwood was selected out of 50 applicants.

She said his “wonderful background, good demeanor” and understanding of what the job required made him stand out.

“He was the best candidate to fairly implement this law,” she said.

Calderwood, a Michigan native, earned his bachelor’s degree in political economy from Hillsdale College and his law degree from the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor. In law school, Calderwood had an internship as a clerk in the Michigan Court of Appeals, serving under Brian Zahra, who’s now a Michigan Supreme Court justice.

Sticking point

When lawmakers passed the right-to-work laws, they also appropriated $2 million to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to help implement the laws. All of that money was funneled to the Bureau of Employee Relations.

It will help pay for Calderwood’s salary through September (the end of the current fiscal year), as well as mailings, informational posters and any travel that Calderwood needs to go on as part of his job, Okun said.

“Our goal is not to spend the $2 million; our goal is to implement the law,” Okun said, adding that the appropriations will help pay for any costs associated with that.

Okun said she considered hiring support staff to help Calderwood with his work, but so far he hasn’t needed the assistance.

Calderwood’s job is a limited-term position for two years, Okun said. He is not represented by a union.

The funding for implementing right to work has been one of the sticking points in the political battle over the laws.

Republicans said the appropriations were necessary and routine, but Democrats and other critics alleged the funding was included in the laws only to circumvent one way opponents could seek to overturn them. Under the Michigan Constitution, legislation including an appropriation cannot be subject to repeal through a public referendum.